


It Was Supposed to be a Relaxing Night

by courtinator



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Adorable Isaac Lahey, Angst, Derek Hale is Bad at Feelings, Emotionally Repressed, Feels, Fluff, Gen, Helpful Alan Deaton, Isaac Lahey & Scott McCall Friendship, Isaac Lahey & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Isaac Lahey Feels, Isaac Lahey's Past Abuse, Men Crying, Pack Feels, Past Abuse, Repressed Memories, Scott is a Good Friend, Smart Lydia Martin, drugged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29396340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courtinator/pseuds/courtinator
Summary: Needing to figure out where Isaac found his packmates, Derek tries a dangerous method to retrieve memories that goes horribly wrong.
Relationships: Derek Hale & Isaac Lahey, Isaac Lahey & Scott McCall, Isaac Lahey & Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 11
Kudos: 33





	It Was Supposed to be a Relaxing Night

**Author's Note:**

> Set after Isaac heals from his run in with the Alpha pack, but before the ice bath.

“What time did you say they were coming over?” Stiles asked for the third time in as many minutes. Scott sighed, rolling his eyes at his best friend. They were hanging out at his house while his mom was at work and he’d invited the girls over. Stiles had been off-kilter ever since his old friend had disappeared and he figured a relaxing night with the girls would be a good idea to distract him. And it was a good opportunity to get them all comfortable with each other again, after their extended time apart.

“I’m sure they’re on their way and will be here any minute,” Scott sighed, flipping through the channels on the television. Maybe if he found something interesting, Stiles would chill out a little.

“How do I look? Is this shirt working for me? Cause you know, Lydia is finally single, I’m always single, this could be my moment,” Stiles rambled, fiddling at his newly grown out hair. Scott shot him a small shrug, not commenting either way. This long-standing crush was very important to Stiles and Scott knew better than to say anything less than supportive. He kind of wished Stiles would just make a move already, instead of pining away for all eternity. Maybe this would be the night?

Aggressive banging on the front door had Scott’s claws out before he could even register it. The girls would not be knocking on the door like that, unless there was something seriously wrong. Scott and Stiles exchanged a nervous look before scrambling toward the door, Stiles hanging back a little in case there was active danger lurking. But when Scott turned the knob, it wasn’t the girls standing on his porch.

“Derek? What-” Scott stuttered, before Derek pushed his way into the house.

“We need help,” Derek snapped, and only then did Scott even register that Derek hadn’t come alone. Isaac was heaved over his shoulder, uncontrollably sobbing.

“What the hell?” Stiles yelled, grimacing when he noticed Isaac’s reaction to his raised voice. Isaac flinched away from the other boy, clutching onto Derek like a lifeline.

“Where’s he hurt? Should we take him to the hospital?” Scott asked, trying to figure out what kind of injury could cause this kind of reaction in a werewolf. He’d seen Isaac stabbed multiple times without even crying out in response.

“He’s not hurt and this isn’t anything a hospital can fix. I need Deaton,” Derek growled, easing Isaac down on the couch with more care than Scott expected from the stern Alpha. Isaac immediately grabbed a throw pillow, clutching it to his chest and burying his face in it.

“What happened?” Scott asked, already pulling out his phone and dialing the familiar number. He wanted to know everything, but he didn’t want to waste time. There was nothing wrong with men showing their emotions, but this was on a whole other level. Derek snatched the phone out of his hand as soon as the other line picked up, bringing it up to his ear in frustration.

“I need something to counteract a drug,” Derek said, not waiting around for usual pleasantries.

“What kind of drug?” Deaton asked, as steady and calm as ever.

“I don’t know. It was a white powder that is supposed to be good for recalling lost memories, but that’s not what it did,” Derek muttered, constantly glancing toward his weeping Beta. Scott was torn between trying to comfort Isaac and staying close enough to Derek so he could overhear the conversation. Curiosity won out.

“What did it do?” Deaton asked.

“It turned Isaac into a wreck and he hasn’t stopped crying!” Derek growled, cringing when Isaac cowered in fear.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Isaac sobbed, trembling in his spot on the couch.

“Nice work!” Stiles snorted, cautiously moving toward the wailing teen. He awkwardly attempted a comforting pat on Isaac’s shoulder and the other boy latched onto his hand, pulling Stiles down with a surprised yelp and caught him in a crushing hug. Isaac burrowed into Stiles’ chest, ducking his head down into his lap. Stiles glanced around in desperation, begging for help with his eyes. Scott just motioned at him to stay put for now, no matter how weird it was.

They hadn’t seen much of Isaac over the summer, with Derek keeping the last of his pack close and working on training and tracking. Scott and Isaac had gotten friendlier during the fight with Jackson, but he wasn’t sure if he truly considered them friends yet. More like acquaintances with people in common.

“If you’re using what I think you are, it can help recover latent memories, but it’s very volatile. It can cause a much more worrying effect,” Deaton explained.

“No kidding!” Derek hissed, turning away when Isaac whimpered.

“This is very serious. Giving this drug to someone puts them into an overly emotional state. This is usually what’s needed to free these lost memories, because people tuck them away to protect themselves. But for someone with a history of trauma, this can be catastrophic,” Deaton continued.

“Shit!” Derek mumbled, glancing back at the broken boy he turned. This didn’t sound good for Isaac.

“Until this drug works its way out of his system, Isaac will not have control of his emotions. For some people, this manifests in aggression and they’ve been known to kill everyone and everything in sight.”

“Well, Isaac is just crying, so that’s good right? He doesn’t look like he wants to hurt anyone.”

“Isaac’s seems to be manifesting in severe depression, so while it might be safer for the people around him, it is very dangerous for him. It’s very common for people in his position to hurt themselves,” Deaton warned.

“How long will this last?” Derek asked, worry finally coloring his words.

“It depends on how much you gave him, but I would estimate at least four hours.”

“And there’s nothing we can do to get it out of him? Will him turning help?”

“Unfortunately, no. You just have to let the drug run its course,” Deaton answered regretfully. Derek rudely hung up the phone without a word, tossing it back to Scott.

“What’s the plan guys?” Stiles asked from his spot under Isaac, not having heard all the details of the conversation.

“There is no plan!” Derek snapped, pacing a few steps away from everyone. Scott looked helplessly from the aggravated Alpha to his wailing Beta. There had to be something they could do to get through this. He couldn’t stand the idea of Isaac crying in misery for hours.

“Yelling isn’t helping, I know that much,” Stiles mumbled, patting Isaac on the head as he let loose a new round of tears in response to Derek’s harsh tone. Scott was about to say something in agreement when a new scent crossed his senses. Was that blood? Scott rushed over to the source, panicked that Deaton was wrong and Isaac really was a danger to others right now. Stiles was fine though. Isaac, on the other hand, had dug his claws into his own palms and was steadily dripping blood onto the couch.

“No Isaac, stop,” Scott quietly demanded, trying to keep his voice calm so he wouldn’t startle the teen. Isaac tucked his face further into Stiles, whimpering at the feel of Scott pulling his hands into his lap. He didn’t fight the movement though, letting Scott uncurl his fingers so the wounds could heal.

“Maybe we should tie him up or something? Before he hurts himself for real,” Derek said, walking up to stand over the group. Isaac let out what could only be considered a shriek of terror, choking on his breath.

“No- no dad, please don’t! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Isaac gasped, shaking apart in Stiles’ lap. Scott felt a surge of wolf anger flow through him and he launched himself at Derek, pushing the man into another room. He could hear Stiles whispering quiet assurances in Isaac’s ear, trying desperately to calm him down. But Scott’s main focus was on Derek and convincing himself not to rip the man apart with his teeth.

“What the hell were you thinking saying something like that in front of him?” Scott snapped, punctuating his words with another sharp shove. “After making a point to show me things from his past, you still have the gall to suggest that?”

“What do you suggest we do? I’m not going to stand by and watch him kill himself because you’re worried about his feelings,” Derek hissed.

“We’ll watch him and make sure he stays safe. I don’t care how long it takes,” Scott declared. Isaac had a chance to escape all this drama and danger with the rest of his packmates, but he’d stayed and helped Scott anyways, almost dying in the process. Scott owed it to the other boy to help him through this. “And you’re gonna stay in here until you can figure out how to be a decent human being.”

“You don’t tell me what to do,” Derek snapped, flashing his red eyes.

“You are not my Alpha and I don’t answer to you,” Scott growled, pulling himself into an authoritative stance. “You came to my house for help, so you can either listen to what I’m telling you or get out. Either way, Isaac stays. I suggest you sit down and figure out why keeping your uncaring image intact is more important than admitting you give a damn about other people.” Scott stomped from the room without waiting for a response, softening his steps as he got closer to Isaac.

“I can’t get him to stop,” Stiles whispered, his own voice cracking emotionally. Stiles had always been a sympathetic crier, and Scott didn’t know if he could deal with more emotions right now.

“We just need to figure out how to distract him, right?” Scott said, grabbing Isaac’s hands again, in case he lost control. Isaac moaned, but didn’t pull away.

“Why couldn’t my dad love me?” Isaac whimpered, turning haunted eyes toward Scott. “I don’t think anyone can.” That finally set Stiles off, his friend closing his eyes and squeezing out two tears.

“No guys, no,” Scott whispered, feeling terribly overwhelmed and out of his depth.

This is how the girls found them when they showed up a few minutes later. Isaac was curled in a ball in Stiles’ lap, still hiccuping sobs. Stiles was frowning in concentration, trying to reign in his sniffles. And Scott was fluttering around the room, aimless in his desperation to help.

“What happened?” Allison gasped, taking in the scene. It probably looked like someone had died or was actively dying. That might’ve been easier to deal with.

“Oh, hey guys, how’s it going?” Stiles choked out, clearing his throat to make his voice stronger. This wasn’t the first impression he was expecting to have in front of Lydia tonight.

“Who died?” Lydia asked, in her usual brusque manner.

“My whole family,” Isaac wept, setting off another renewed round of tears. The girls stared at Scott in bewilderment, searching for an explanation from the only other person in the room who seemed to be put together at the moment.

“Drug that causes extreme depression for a few hours,” Scott explained briefly, throwing his hands up in defeat. Girls were better with emotions, right? They’d know what to do. “Help us, please.”

“What’ve you tried so far?” Allison asked, moving further into the room. She kept her distance, trying not to crowd the already skittish boy.

“You’re pretty much looking at it,” Stiles muttered, resting his hand on top of Isaac’s shoulder.

“What happens if we do nothing?” Allison whispered, moving closer so Isaac wouldn’t be able to hear as well.

“He could hurt himself or others,” Scott mumbled, raking a hand through his hair. “Or do nothing. I don’t know, I just can’t stand back and watch this without trying to help.”

“Have you tried talking to him?” Lydia suggested, approaching this with much more calm than everyone else. She was kind of like Deaton in that way.

“Everything we say makes him cry,” Stiles said softly, quietly pleading for help with his eyes.

“Well, try something else,” Lydia sighed, crouching down to Isaac’s eye level. “Can you hear me Isaac?”

“Lydia, I’m so sorry I tried to kill you,” Isaac cried, his chin quivering as he tried to get the words out. “I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t disappoint Derek. He’s all I had and I couldn’t let him down. But I’m so, so sorry.” Scott could hear Derek’s sharp inhale from the kitchen and a part of him hoped that the man was feeling as shitty as he should be. Derek had manipulated three kids into making a life changing decision and it hadn’t worked out well for any of them.

“Okay, new plan,” Lydia determined, patting Isaac’s hand gently before she stood back up. “Talking to him doesn’t seem like a good idea, but what if we try distracting him?”

“With what? Funny stories or movies?” Scott suggested. He wanted anything to ease the tension in this room.

“Not exactly. If this drug brings out overwhelming emotions, things like that probably won’t work. I don’t think anything will stop his crying at this point, but not all crying has to come from sadness,” Lydia explained, pulling out her phone. She started typing for a few moments before ducking back down and showing Isaac a video. Scott and Allison moved around to the back of the couch to see what they were watching. It was a little girl being surprised with a new puppy on Christmas morning. Isaac sniffled, biting his lip as the little girl on the screen started to cry from happiness. And Scott couldn’t be sure from his angle, but he would’ve sworn he saw the barest hint of a smile flash across Isaac’s face.

“You’re a genius,” Stiles whispered in awe.

“Yes, I know. Sometimes when I’m feeling down and need to get all of my pent up emotions out, I’ll watch happy videos to help purge everything. Instead of wallowing in my sadness, I expose myself to other people’s joy,” Lydia said, clicking on another video. This one was of a person with color blindness wearing special glasses and seeing a rainbow for the first time. Now Scott was sure he heard a little laugh coming from Isaac. He was still crying, and maybe even a little harder now, but it was different. Less soul crushing.

“Let me go get my laptop,” Scott said, rushing up the stairs. He quickly got everything set up in the living room, setting the laptop on the coffee table in front of Isaac. He had finally gotten a hold of himself enough that he wasn’t in Stiles’ lap anymore, but he was still clutching onto the boy’s arm. Allison and Lydia were sitting in the corner, finding appropriate videos and putting them in a playlist so they would automatically cycle through for however many hours they needed.

Scott sank down next to Isaac, putting a comforting hand on his back as he sobbed over a video of a toddler getting a hearing aid and hearing her mom’s voice for the first time. Even Stiles’ eyes were getting misty again. This was going to be a long night.

Derek silently came into the room during a long stretch of pregnancy announcement videos, dropping an armful of water bottles and snacks next to the couch. He didn’t go all the way back into the kitchen after, sliding down to sit in the doorway. Scott figured that was progress and as long as Isaac wasn’t reacting poorly to it, he wouldn’t say anything.

Everything was running smoothly until a new video popped up. It started off pretty standard, with a bunch of little kids playing a baseball game. Scott hadn’t been reading the titles of the videos for a while, because they usually had vague names like “Try Not to Cry Compilation #4”, but this one was different from the others they’d been watching. Isaac figured it out before any of them did, letting out a whimper of distress.

“Cam never made it back,” Isaac bawled, rocking back and forth in his seat. “I used to think he would just show up at home one day like this, to take me away from our dad. But he didn’t. He promised me he’d come back! Cam was all I had and now he’s gone and Boyd is gone and Erica’s gone and I can’t lose anyone again!” Stiles lunged forward, clicking the skip button just as the soldier surprised his little brother in the middle of the baseball game.

“Sorry!” Allison gasped from her corner, tapping furiously on her phone to get rid of any videos that may have similar themes. He couldn’t hold it against her. Isaac never talked about his brother and Scott only knew about him because of Matt’s storytime session in the police station all those months ago. The damage had been done though and Isaac’s hands were trembling in his lap, the claws extending and retracting like he wasn’t in control.

“Calm down,” Scott quietly pleaded, grabbing Isaac’s wrists before he could cause any harm. Isaac squirmed a little, but didn’t seem to have the energy to get away. Scott couldn’t imagine how exhausted Isaac was after all of this. He was wrecked from just watching. “You’re not going to lose me, okay? We’re gonna sit here and watch this little boy get a puppy for his birthday.” Scott felt like shit for trying to brush aside Isaac’s legitimate trauma, but this wasn’t the time to work through it. It felt a little like taking advantage of Isaac while he was vulnerable and not in control of his words. He would listen if Isaac ever decided he was ready to talk.

“A puppy?” Isaac whimpered, letting his eyes drift back to the screen. It was a classic golden retriever moment and the puppy was rolling around trying to dislodge the giant bow tied to its collar while the birthday boy watched in awe.

“Yeah,” Scott said, gently releasing Isaac’s wrists when the claws finally stopped popping out. He took a chance, carefully guiding Isaac’s head toward his shoulder. Isaac went further, laying his head down on Scott’s lap. Scott couldn’t bother to feel awkward and started carding his fingers through Isaac’s hair. Stiles lifted Isaac’s legs and laid them across his lap, getting the teen into a more comfortable position.

They stuck to surprise pet videos after that, since they seemed to have the most calming effect on Isaac. Scott coaxed Isaac into drinking a few sips of water, fearing that all this crying would leave him dehydrated. They were nearing the four hour mark since Derek had brought him here, but Scott couldn’t tell if this would be over anytime soon. Deaton was usually right about everything, but Derek hadn’t said how much drug Isaac had been given. Scott was prepared to stick it out for as long as it took though.

“I’ve never had a pet,” Isaac mumbled between sniffles. “I always wanted a cat, but my dad would never allow it. The closest I ever got was this stray cat that would come around the cemetery. It was black and would come out of the shadows after I finished digging for the night. I called it Snake, because it was so skinny and could slip through anything. I’d sneak food from my house for it sometimes.”

“That sounds really nice,” Scott said, noticing Isaac’s voice seemed to be fading as he talked. Maybe this was it?

“My dad caught me petting it one night and got mad. He sent me home and I never saw Snake again,” Isaac whispered, blinking heavily. “I like to believe he just scared it off.” Scott and Stiles exchanged angry looks, knowing that the other was thinking terrible thoughts about Isaac’s not so dearly departed father. Scott had never hated someone he’d never met so much. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down before his wolf took control. Signs of aggression would only upset Isaac more.

“Look,” Stiles murmured, compelling Scott’s eyes open again. Isaac’s were closed though, his mouth slack and body relaxed in a way it hadn’t been since he’d been brought here.

“Isaac?” Scott asked cautiously, searching for any signs the boy was still awake. When he didn’t move, Scott heaved a giant sigh of relief. It looked like this was finally over. Stiles reached over and closed the laptop, brushing away any evidence of his own tears that had fallen. The room was bathed in darkness now and a quiet settled across the room. This night had felt more strenuous than any fight they had been involved in before. 

“I got him,” Derek said, walking over to carefully cradle Isaac in his arms. It looked worryingly like it had after Derek saved them from the Alpha in the hospital. At least this time Isaac was only sleeping.

“Put him in my bed,” Scott directed, not willing to let Derek take Isaac anywhere tonight. He needed to see him awake again and make sure he was really okay. Scott gestured at Stiles to go with them, not fully trusting Derek to be alone with Isaac yet, even if the boy wasn’t awake. Stiles begrudgingly listened, rolling his eyes as he scampered up the stairs behind the pair.

“I think we’re gonna head out,” Allison said, standing up with Lydia from where they had spent most of the night.

“Thank you so much for your help. I don’t know what we would’ve done without you,” Scott told them sincerely.

“Probably made things worse,” Lydia said, but there was a little bit of softness in her voice this time. “I’ll be in the car.” Allison and Scott watched her scamper off, leaving them alone in a room for the first time in a long while.

“Sorry this wasn’t the relaxing night I promised,” Scott chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. He’d hoped they’d make strides toward a normal friendship tonight, but they’d had to focus all their attention on Isaac instead.

“It’s okay. I’m not going to say I had fun, because I didn’t, but it was nice to have us all working together again. We make a good team,” Allison said, shooting him a crooked smile. 

“Yeah we do. Maybe we can try this again next weekend?” Scott suggested hopefully.

“We’ll see. There’ll probably be another crisis by then,” Allison giggled, leaning forward to give him a soft peck on the cheek. “Bye.” Scott watched her walk off, feeling a little bit lighter. Things weren’t fully back to normal, but he could see them getting there. He trudged up the stairs, preparing himself for a long night of Isaac watching. 

“I’ll be back to pick him up in the morning,” Derek said quietly, hearing his approach. He was standing in the doorway, watching the lump of Isaac who was tucked under the covers. Scott felt the urge to shake Derek by the shoulders and tell him to just admit he had feelings, no matter how hard it seemed, but this wasn’t the night for more emotional stuff. Scott just let him pass, listening as he went out the front door.

“I’m staying,” Stiles said, rummaging around in his closet for his old sleeping bag. Stiles would usually sleep on the couch when he stayed over, but he seemed like he was hesitant to leave Isaac’s side too. Those two weren’t the best of friends in normal circumstances, but for some reason Isaac had sought comfort with him and Stiles was a good enough person to give it without hesitation. Maybe this night would help soften some of those rough edges.

“Thanks for staying. I know this probably wasn’t what you needed right now, but we couldn’t have done it without you,” Scott said, sinking down into his desk chair.

“Of course you couldn’t have. I’m the heart and soul of this pack,” Stiles scoffed, rolling out the sleeping bag along the side of the bed. Scott couldn’t argue with that. He leaned back in the chair, preparing to sit up in case Isaac woke up in the middle of the night and needed something. Deaton hadn’t mentioned anything else happening, but Scott wasn’t going to take any chances.

*

“Scott?” a voice moaned in confusion, making Scott’s head snap up from its loll against his chest. He didn’t remember falling asleep.

“Isaac?” Scott asked, hopping up from his seat to approach the bed. Isaac was sitting up, cradling his head in his hands. “Are you okay?”

“I feel like what I assume a hangover feels like. But I’ve never been drunk, so I’m not sure,” Isaac mumbled, pulling his hands away and squinting around the room. “What happened?”

“What do you remember?” Scott asked, wringing his hands in discomfort. He hadn’t expected Isaac to forget the previous night and he didn’t want to be the one to explain the details.

“I was at the loft and Derek told me he had an idea to get my memories back. And that’s pretty much it,” Isaac muttered, running a hand through his sleep curled hair. “This whole losing time thing is getting pretty old.”

“Derek had this drug and unfortunately it had a bit of a side effect,” Scott explained with a grimace.

“What kind of side effect?” Isaac asked warily.

“You cried a lot,” Stiles mumbled from the floor, pulling himself up to rest his chin on the edge of the bed.

“No,” Isaac denied, looking over at him in hopes of hearing something else. Scott could only shrug.

“If it makes you feel any better, Stiles cried too. And he didn’t even have any drugs in his system,” Scott said, ignoring Stiles’ indignant squawk. Isaac groaned, burying his face in his hands.

“Did I at least remember anything important?” Isaac asked, searching for a silver lining in all this.

“Not about what happened to you the other night,” Scott said regretfully. He wasn’t going to say an outright no, because the things Isaac brought up were important in their own way, just not the way Isaac meant. “I’m sure we’ll come up with something else.”

Stiles and Isaac quietly sat in the kitchen with bowls of cereal while Scott threw the couch cover into the wash. His mom, being a nurse, had perfected the art of removing blood stains and had taught Scott how to also. She was still at work thank goodness, plowing through a double shift. He didn’t want to have to explain last night to her too.

“How can you not like milk in your cereal?” Stiles asked, like it was a punishable offense.

“I don’t not like it, I’m just used to eating it dry,” Isaac said, crunching on a mouthful of Lucky Charms.

“Savage is what you are,” Stiles grumbled.

“My dad wasn’t the best at keeping fresh groceries in the house, so I stopped bothering with the milk. And Derek didn’t even have a fridge at the train depot, so no milk there either,” Isaac shrugged, smirking when it got the desired effect. Stiles clamped his mouth shut, avoiding continuing on with the topic of Isaac’s past.

“You know, they have shelf stable milk now,” Scott said, joining them at the table and saving Stiles from his discomfort. “Or milk alternatives.”

“Pass,” Isaac said, scrunching up his nose as he popped another marshmallow in his mouth.

“I tried to get my dad onto the alt milk bandwagon. Soy beat rice, but only barely. We compromised on low-fat instead of whole milk,” Stiles said around his own dripping mouthful of cereal. This was nice. Things felt more comfortable than Scott would’ve thought after last night. He could see Isaac fitting right in with their little group.

Derek slamming through the kitchen door shattered the feeling of calm that had settled over them. Isaac’s shoulders immediately tensed up at the sight of his Alpha. Even if he didn’t remember the details of what happened last night, something inside of Isaac kept him on edge around the man. Derek gave Isaac a once over, checking to make sure he was alright. Scott didn’t think anything would happen, but he still felt ready to jump up and intervene if necessary.

“You okay?” Derek asked, as gruff as ever.

“Yeah, yeah of course. I’m sorry it didn’t work. We can try again if you want,” Isaac stammered, staring down at the table.

“No!” all three of them shouted in unison, causing Isaac to startle a bit.

“We’ll figure something else out,” Derek mumbled, looking oddly conflicted. Scott could tell there was something Derek was holding back, but he had no idea what it could be this time.

“Are you sure?” Isaac asked, still desperate for his Alpha’s approval. Derek blew out a breath, closing his eyes in resignation before shoving a hand in his pocket and pulling something out. Scott would’ve been less surprised if it had been a gun and Derek shot everyone. The tiny black cat in his hand was completely unexpected. Stiles let out a squeal before clapping his hand over his mouth. Isaac was just staring at the fuzzy little bundle in shock.

Derek set the kitten on the table, letting it get used to its surroundings. It shook a little, making the bell around its neck jingle. Isaac bit his lip, hesitant to touch the baby animal. Scott watched on in silence, not wanting to interrupt the moment. Maybe his words the night before had struck a chord with the man. Isaac put his hand down on the table with his palm up, letting the kitten decide if it wanted to come to him. It bounced over, crawling into his hand like they’d always known each other. Stiles couldn’t hold back his coo as Isaac carefully brought the kitten up to his chest, poking at the tiny name tag attached to the collar.

“Snake?” Isaac choked out, laughing out a breathy sob as the cat nuzzled his cheek. Derek looked embarrassed by his unusually sweet actions, trying to keep his face blank, but failing.

“You’re gonna be responsible for taking care of it,” Derek said, trying to sound stern.

“Yeah,” Isaac whispered, watching as the kitten curled up under his chin to take a nap.

“You wolves are such secret softies,” Stiles snickered, grinning at Derek’s huff of denial. Scott didn’t mention Stiles’ misty eyes, letting Derek absorb all the teasing for now.

“Thank you,” Isaac murmured, smiling as he sniffled. There was still a lot of baggage Isaac needed to deal with, but hopefully this would help open the door to him being more forthcoming with his feelings. Scott never wanted a repeat of last night. And hopefully Derek’s eyes had been opened to some things too. He didn’t have to be inaccessible to be a good leader.

“Oh no, this is terrible!” Stiles exclaimed, startling a tiny meow out of the kitten. Isaac shushed it with a soft pat, glaring at Stiles for disturbing his pet.

“What’s terrible?” Scott asked, wondering how anyone could find something wrong with this scene. Stiles sighed, stirring at his mushy cereal with his spoon.

“We should’ve filmed this for the internet. We would’ve gotten so many views.”


End file.
